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It is good news that Westward Ho! beach has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag status for the 23rd year running and a huge accolade for the many local people and organisations who keep our natural heritage safe and clean. But news has also arrived that Westward Ho! is one of the worst beaches in the…
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As Britain started to recover from the austerity of the Second World War, a national festival took place to boost morale and showcase Britain’s achievements. In Bideford, the Bideford District Trades Exhibition ran from 11-16 June 1951. Housed in one of the largest marquees ever seen in Bideford, the festival got off to a successful…
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In the summer of 1876, the first Plimsoll line, marking the maximum depth to which vessels can be loaded with cargo, appeared on the side of ships. It is now the 150th anniversary of this groundbreaking piece of legislation. In Victorian times it was common practice for many ship owners to deliberately overload vessels to maximise…
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The seas around us have shaped our history and the harbours and ports along our coasts, rivers and canals are a key part of this story. The national Heritage Harbour scheme is organised by the Maritime Heritage Trust with input from National Historic Ships and Heritage England. Although there are now 14 Heritage Harbours in…
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It’s great news that the Waverley is coming to Bideford again on 15 June and we would love to see more historic ships visit our ancient port alongside the SS Freshspring. Last week, seven of us from Bideford, including both town and district councillors, visited a ‘Factory-Museum’ in northern Spain specialised in traditional shipbuilding, to…
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This week’s column is provided by Bideford and District Archive. The area covered by the community archive is geographically large and some of the outer edges still hold shimmering echoes of their Celtic past. For those of us who like our history ancient, this is the place for us. On 21st June at 4pm there will be a…
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Proposals to create a Trust Port for the whole Taw and Torridge estuary have sparked a search for a historical document dating from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. When proponents of the Trust Port addressed a packed meeting in Appledore recently, they were told in no uncertain terms that residents had a historic right…
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How useful is Tarka as a local brand? We have the Tarka Trail, the Tarka railway line, and goodness knows how many businesses using the name from cafés to self-storage, van hire, and plumbing. A statue of the hero of Henry Williamson’s 1920s novel (full title: ‘Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-life and Death in…
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Pollution of our waterways and seas has been much in the news recently and the television programme ‘Dirty Business’ has brought this to an even wider audience. The programme showed how heavy rainfall and inadequately maintained treatment systems have resulted in frequent pollution incidents. At the same time, policy changes regarding self-monitoring by water companies…
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What would you do to improve Bideford? And what would you get rid of? Those are the questions a group of us asked the public at the recent EAT festival on Bideford Quay. Bideford Regeneration Board has recently launched a Masterplan and Strategy Report, so this was a good opportunity to get feedback from residents.…
Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour 